Mad People
by MarauderWitch
Summary: A night of heavy rain has the Order of the Phoenix stuck at the Grimmauld Place and the members are left to entertain themselves whilst who most consider the bravest member of the organisation, Molly Weasley, won't allow them to step into the kitchen to help with dinner. Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.


**Mad People**

Grimmauld Place had been swamping with Order members at that night and despite the fact that the kids were all at Hogwarts since the week before, the ancient house still seemed to be rather crowded. Molly was preparing yet again another dinner for them all and she needed help, of course, but only a select two or three were allowing in the kitchen then for she made sure to let them all know at the top of her lungs that she could not cook when there was someone occupying every inch of the room. Remus thought that he would be one of the few she would allow to be in there, but decided against it, perhaps mainly because the moments in which he could enjoy himself with others were so rare lately and he wanted every second.

Thus the drawing-room was swarming with people instead. Mrs Black had had her curtains closed more times than any of them cared to count in the past few hours; the rain and the stereo, that had been pumping some good old rock from a couple of decades ago, were trying to mask the insults she could not stop herself from bursting out. In spite of the inconvenience and nuisance, most members enjoyed the reminder of exactly what they were fighting for, to take away not only the Dark Lord, but those prejudicial purebloods that could not stand having to live with half-bloods and Muggle-borns in the same environment.

'Does anyone **actually** _like_ when it rains like this?' asked Hestia Jones above the noise of general chat in the room and watching the water coming down the window.

There was a common chuckle whilst the faces turned to look at her.

'Yeah,' answered Dedalus, smiling and shaking his head in amusement while throwing his top hat in the air only to catch it and throw it again. 'There's always someone who is crazy enough even to enjoy being stuck at home whilst it rains cats and dogs.'

'How does it rain cats and dogs? Do they ride in droplets or something?' questioned Tonks causing the members to laugh; only Sirius didn't seem to appreciate the conversation. 'No, I'm serious, that has confused me since the first time I heard it. Who would even think of coming up with that kind of expression? Did they think the rain on the roof was loud enough so that it wasn't water? I mean, cats are seen there quite often, but dogs don't go on roofs, do they?' she questioned, eyeing her grumpy cousin on the sofa.

Sirius, however, seemed to not want to give her any sort of indication that he had heard her question. The young Auror didn't admit defeat so easily and with a strained expression upon her features started to morph her nose to look like a black dog's snout and in a matter of seconds, her whole face was changing as if to provoke her cousin. Sirius rolled his eyes, annoyed.

'No, they don't,' he replied coldly.

No one noticed the look of worry that Remus shot his best friend. Sirius had been on edge ever since Dumbledore told him that he should not leave the house. One would think that being around people would lighten his mood, that having them stuck there, as Dedalus had said, would make him less bitter than he had been, but it seemed that he could not wait for them all to leave so he could go back and sulk at the sight of everything like he did when the house was empty. Remus sighed quietly, wishing they could set him free.

'Can you imagine them?' Bill asked, stepping closer to the centre of the room and looking rather enthusiastic. 'Tiny cats and dogs riding tiny motorbikes like Sirius's or sports cars!' He made a motion to imitate someone accelerating a motorbike with his hands. 'I'll bet you anything that Dad would love to try and add something that allows you to drive it as a dog, Sirius. Imagine you ... coming full speed as the rain,' he laughed.

'If they're coming full speed to Earth, they'll crash,' Kingsley pointed out.

'Like I said,' Dedalus added, 'mad people for everything, even if it is to think that cats and dogs ride droplets.' This time the laughter was much louder than before. 'And to imagine them in those Muggle machines.'

'**HOW DARE YOU DIRTY MY HOUSE WITH YOUR FILTHY LAUGHTER? HOW DARE YOU?**'

Mrs Black's shouts, though even more ear-splitting at the moment, were continued to be ignored.

'Mad people to make of their headquarters a house that had belonged to their enemy!' Dedalus went on to general amusement.

'Who would do that?' asked Tonks in mock ignorance.

'Mad people to enter, not only the Ministry, but the Department of _Mysteries_ and stay there for hours and come back the next night!'

Each of his remarks was punctuated with the broad laughter of the Order members.

'Mad people to tell the Minister that he is wrong and has gone mental if he hadn't realised that You-Know-Who is back by now. Mad people to risk their jobs for it! Mad people to stand up to You-Know-Who!'

Remus lowered his eyes to the floor. They were indeed all mad and he wondered whether he was the worst of all when Voldemort had had all of his kind by his side and now he was going to try and convince them to not do the same. At least the young ones didn't know for sure what they were getting themselves into. Tonks, Bill, Charlie ... It seemed that it was all a slightly dangerous adventure to them.

After a moment of silence in which the laughter slowly died, Bill stepped to the door saying he would see whether his mother needed some help with the dinner and Dedalus shook his head, pity in his eyes as he looked to the Weasley.

'And the worst of all ... mad people to go to the kitchen when Molly Weasley has said she doesn't want anyone there.'

Bill laughed along with them, but left the room either way.


End file.
